Monday, June 2, 2008

Pray for the Laird family!

On Saturday night I got this email from Bret Laird (his wife is one of my good friends from college, Katey Laird, used to be Wycoff).

Dear Prayer Team,

Sorry I was unable to get this e-mail out sooner, but we have been traveling and making funeral arrangements non-stop over the past couple days. Most of you have probably already heard by now that my younger brother Drew was called home to be with the Lord on May 27, 2008. He was swimming in a lap pool at a fitness center in Denver, which was a daily routine for him as he prepared for some strenuous military qualification tests. He was found unconscious, and attempts to revive him were not successful. He will be deeply, deeply missed.

Please pray for his wife Natalie, who is 7 months pregnant with their second child, and for his 2 and 1/2 year old son Caeden.

We rejoice that from a very young age, Drew walked with God and was an incredible evangelist. He would share Christ with people wherever he went, and there will be many souls who will follow him to heaven. I truly believe he witnessed to more people in his short 25 years than most Christians do in 75. He finished the work which His Lord had given to him to do, and is now at rest in the presence of His Savior.

Please be in fervent prayer for the memorial service, which will be held tomorrow (Sunday, June 1) at 3:00pm at Riverside Baptist Church in Denver. We expect between 1,000 and 2,500 people, many of whom will be unsaved friends and military personnel. My brother Chad, my father Alden, and I will all be sharing briefly from Scripture as part of the service, and a gospel tract with Drew's picture and favorite verse on it will be given to all who come.

Our prayer is that God would use Drew's death to bring many other souls from death to life.

Mourning with Hope,Bret

Please remember this family in your prayers, especially Natalie and their two babies. My heart is so heavy for them. It has been such a blessing to see how the family has responded to this tragedy. What a difference it makes to have the hope of Christ and heaven. Still, we can only imagine the pain and heartache that Natalie is suffering right now.